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Buttressing reports of a reviving housing market, building permits in San Diego County skyrocketed 91.2 percent in July, compared with year-ago levels, according to the Construction Industry Research Board.

The board, overseen by the California Homebuilding Foundation, said Thursday that permits were issued for 948 houses, apartments and condos in July, up from 495 in July 2012.

Year to date, the total was up 43.2 percent -- from 3,473 for the first seven months of 2012 to 4,972 this year. Statewide, the story was similar: The overall permit count was up 49.2 percent year-over-year.

Matt Adams, vice president of the San Diego County Building Industry Association, welcomed the news but said the pace still falls far below peak levels a decade ago and long-term needs of nearly 1,000 units per month to meet population growth.

"Everyone has to work together to get there," Adams said, "local governments and the like, because they still hold the keys to recovery, because they tell us when and where and how to build."

Kelly Cunningham, economist at National University Systems' Institute for Policy Research, said construction jobs, after dropping to 55,000 now stand at about 60,000 -- a level that's far below the peak of 95,000 during the 2000s boom.

"So we haven't hired that many people," he said.

Adams and Cunningham blamed the slow economic recovery for the slow pace of construction growth. They also noted the preponderance of multifamily construction, which represented 68.9 percent of permits year to date. Historically, apartments and condos have represented 50 percent or less of annual activity.

Since it generally takes less money and fewer workers to build an apartment or condo, it's no surprise that overall construction employment isn't returning to its former levels.

On the nonresidential side, Cunningham said the 17 percent increase in permit valuation through July reflects an oversupply of retail, office and industrial space in the face of sluggish demand.

"I don't know that we'll see a lot of new building," he said, particularly in retail centers.

However, Cunningham said if San Diego's high-tech economy grows rapidly, that will spur new commercial construction and that sector's high-paid workers will likely seek big, more expensive and newly built homes.

"Some of these tech drivers will spur the economy forward," he said.

San Diego County building permits, July 2012-July 2013

Single-family homes: 191, up from 230 in July 2012.

Multifamily (condos and apartments): 757, up from 265 in July 2012.

Total valuation for nonresidential permits through July: $1.9 billion, up 18.8 percent from $1.6 billion for the same period last year.